“Choosy developers choose GIF”

For a while back in, I dunno, 1991, it was leet to have a GIF in your signature line. By the early 2000s, doing so made you look like a hopeless luddite whose crowning digital achievement was knowing what texting was (but the confusion of T9 would be too much for you to use it).

I admit it; I mercilessly mocked a few people. Mostly because a blooming, 8-bit rose in the signature of a “digital specialist” whose name just happened to be Rose, did not inspire confidence. Oh, and I’m a snob.

The funny thing is that along with acid wash leggings, skinny belts and neon colours, all things 80s are hot again – and that includes the GIF. And like any good retro trend, it’s being reimagined too.

Twitter just released Vine, an app that adds 6-second video capability to an already impressive platform. In fact, the release is making some herald Twitter as the town square for the digital age. I’m not there yet, but it certainly is a significant information source for me.